Grief Myths + Misunderstandings
Grief is a funny thing.
There are many myths and misconceptions around grief and grieving, as well as incongruities in our thinking about it.
Here are a few things to chew on and help you spot any hidden Grief Beliefs:
Every one of us experiences loss,
yet we often turn away from feeling -- or even talking about -- grief or loss.
Grief is often softened by acknowledgement and sharing,
yet we tend to lock our up feelings and/or isolate ourselves.
We've been led to believe that our grief will come to a close,
but there is no "closure," only integration.
We tell ourselves we have to recover from grief and heal,
yet there is nothing to fix or cure -- grief is natural and healthy.
We can be years out from a loss, even decades,
and in the blink of an eye find ourselves in deep feelings and vivid memories.
There's a myth that if it's been years and especially decades since your loss,
you shouldn’t still be talking about it. Well that's just plain not true.
As we say in Griefland, the person dies, the relationship doesn't.
We also believe if we focus on our grief (as in acknowledge the loss), we'll get stuck there and not be able to move on.Yet, it appears that a continued relationship with deceased loved ones is more beneficial than rituals focusing on metaphorically "letting go" of the relationship. Again, your love and the relationship didn't die.
Beliefs like these are sneaky and keep us from connecting with our natural resourcefulness and resiliency.
By identifying your own Grief Beliefs, you can begin to bring all parts of yourself back together, no longer needing to push away or deny certain feelings.
Stay in touch and take care of yourself,
Michelle
Michelle Marlahan
Where Self Care becomes Soul Care
Join me for a free live webinar:
How to Create a Grief Altar to Ease Heartache
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